Bead-Dazzled

 

As much as I love vintage Christmas, I have come to realize that I can stop buying velveteen Santas. I think I have more than enough to survive any nuclear holocaust.

But that's not the case with vintage glass Christmas beads. Yes, you might say I am obsessed.

Here is just a portion of my collection, which would be the ones that didn't make it on the tree.

 

My infatuation started as a kid. There were four strands of glass beads on our family's tree and they came from my maternal grandmother. She had the most beautiful Christmas tree and nearly all the ornaments were bought the day after Christmas for half off at a pricey, downtown department store. 

Eventually, my mom divided the strands between myself and my three siblings. Being the oldest, I had first pick, and naturally, I chose the ones below, which were the prettiest of the bunch. Hey, wouldn't you?

 

Since then, I've obviously added to my collection, and I've come across some unusual strands. 

 

Like this one, which has white tinsel-like filaments between the gold beads.

 

And this one, which has tiniest of indents in the round beads.

 

 

And this one, which is a combination of tissue paper honeycomb balls and beads.

I buy glass beads just about every time I see them because I can't be sure when, or if, I will see them again. Last year, for example, was a good year. I found several strands, including some at rummage sales. This year, however, I found just one.

 

And that explains why I haven't even opened these pink beads, which are still in their original packaging. The little pink ones on the left were from Woolworth and were 75 cents. The ones on the right were from a Syracuse department store, Dey Brothers, and were $1.49.

 

But to avoid being the subject of a future episode of "Hoarders," I decided to part with just a little of my stash this year. I used a few beads for these ornaments that I made from curtain rod rings and vintage cards. And you know what? They look just about as good hanging like this on the Christmas tree as they did in a strand draped from bough to bough.

 

 

 

Comments

[Into Vintage]

Wow. That is one impressive collection (inventory? 'collection' doesn't seem to cover it) of garland! And even though my mother denied it, I always suspected the oldest got preferential treatment... :-)

I think I'm in love with that robotic Santa on the pink garland packaging.

[Curtains In My tree]

I love your glass beads I found a very long strand of green and put them in a clear wine bottle and put them on a window in my studio. I enjoy them year round.

I think it's great you have all those old memories. You need an entire room don't you? just to display yaer round.

Janice